


Advanced Research

by minkhollow



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: EWE, F/F, Porn Battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-28
Updated: 2009-01-28
Packaged: 2017-10-02 04:55:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minkhollow/pseuds/minkhollow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the war, Hermione and Padma take advantage of an opportunity to finish their education a little faster, with unexpected results.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Advanced Research

**Author's Note:**

> oxoniensis' porn battle strikes again, prompt of 'restricted section' this time. There is an extended cut of this story up [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4923).  
> I am still not JKR.

McGonagall makes an offer to everyone who should have left school the year of the war: Complete an advanced project, in addition to NEWTs, and they may leave at Christmas rather than June. Not many students are mad enough to take her up on it, but a few, Hermione and Padma chief among them, can't set aside the thirst for knowledge for very long.

There's a twin mattress in a far corner of the Restricted Section. Hermione asks about it, but Madam Pince merely purses her lips and says that it sometimes proves necessary, in the course of advanced research. Hermione assumes she means working to exhaustion, and in fact makes use of the mattress more than once; most days that she doesn't, she comes in to find Padma still asleep there.

They develop a far stronger friendship than they'd had before, over the term, talking about their projects and what they'd like to do after leaving Hogwarts. Hermione's considering law after all, and studying the practicality of the Statute of Secrecy (after the debacle that was trying to get her parents out of Australia); Padma wants to work with the Ministry's ties to India, and is writing an examination of an old Sanskrit volume.

One day, Hermione finds herself easily distracted, and more interested in watching Padma try to puzzle out something in her book. She tries to think nothing of it and do her own research, but that proves more and more difficult, until Padma slips and commits the cardinal error of reading aloud something she doesn't fully understand.

The air changes, between them, and Hermione finds it impossible to focus on anything but Padma - but from the looks of things, Padma's having the same difficulty regarding Hermione. It's a stronger pull than she's ever felt toward Ron.

It only gets stronger when Padma leans across the table and snogs the living daylight out of her.

"We should--" Hermione stops, not sure if she actually wants to suggest they stop. "Well, we shouldn't be over the books, in any case." Padma nods and takes her hand, and they head for the mattress without another word.

As they undress each other - as Padma kisses everything she can reach and more - as Hermione lets her hands wander more than she's dared to with Ron - Hermione has just enough presence of mind to be glad the Restricted Section has the strongest Silencing Charms in the building, before she tips over the edge for the third time.

There's a long while after they finish before either speaks; Padma breaks the silence. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have - read that. Especially with you there."

"What was it?"

"That's what I was trying to figure out. It - the context said something about increasing pre-existing attraction, but I hadn't realised it would..." She trails off, blushing; it's particularly fetching under her skin tone.

Hermione smiles. "Well, I think it's a mistake I'm glad you made."

She has no idea what she's going to tell Ron, but he can go hang, for the moment.


End file.
